13. Applications and implications¶
The task for this week was to define a potential final project and outline the components it will consist of. The aim from the beginning was to learn more about CAD and electronics production.
What will it do?
Given the time constraints because of my research work, I have decided to go with my second project idea of making a wakeup alarm light. It should perform the following functions
- Display Time on a dimmable OLED display
- Alarm (only light, no sound)
- Mood lighting
- Bright white light whose intensity is controllable
- USB ports for charging phone
- Controllable from mobile phone via bluetooth or WiFi
- Auto turn on mode
Who’s done what beforehand? The idea is a straight ripoff from available commercial products. However, they are generally cost more than 100 euros. Furthermore, there is no dearth of available lamp designs. Below are few of them which I found interesting.
On the mechanical front, till now I haven’t designed anything as part of weekly assignments. I have a plan to use sand blasting for the wildcard week as I am planning to use it in my final project. On the electronics front, I did make a generic AtMega16U2 board under the Input and a Output weeks. I will use that board in my final project.
What will you design?
A table lamp, roughly having a dimensions of 15cm X 15 cm X 20 cm and fulfilling the above mentioned specifications. The lamp shade will be cut using laser cutter from acrylic. The base will be 3D printed. There will be atleast five circuit boards, one main controller (AtMega16U2), one power distribution board, one sensor board, and two multiple LEDs boards.
What materials and components will be used?
- Power supply
- ATmega16u2
- LEDs (WS2812B)
- Acrylic, 3D printing material
- Bluetooth module (HC-06) / Wifi Module
- A button
- White LEDs
- Photo transistor
Where will they come from?
Most of the materials will come from the fab lab inventory. I already have the parts which are not part of standard Fab inventory like WS2812B LEDs and HC-06.
How much will they cost? Electronic parts will cost around 20€. Besides that, there will be cost associated with the acrylic and 3D printed material.
Bill of Materials
| Part | Value |
Quantity |
Price ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microcontroller |
ATMEGA16u2 | 1 | 3.53 |
| Resonator | 8 MHz | 1 | 0.25 |
| WS2812B |
6 | 1.1 | |
| Bluetooth Module | HC-06 | 1 | 3 |
| OLED Display | SSD1306 | 1 | 2 |
| LEDs | White (160-1737-1-ND) | 16 | 5.5 |
| Phototransistor | 940nm Top View 1206 visible | 1 | 0.15 |
| PMOS | NDS356APCT-ND | 2 | 0.7 |
| Power Plug | CP-012-ND | 1 | 0.8 |
| Power Jack | CP1-023PJCT-ND | 1 | 0.8 |
| Capacitors | Assorted | ≈20 | 1 |
| Resistors | Assorted | ≈30 | 0.3 |
| Switch | SW262CT-ND | 1 | 0.74 |
| Wires | Assorted | ≈1m | 1 |
| Total | ≈19€ | ||
What parts and systems will be made?
- Four PCBs
- One PCB is for providing power. It will include power headers and decoupling capacitors.
- One PCB will contain white LEDs with a pmos so that it can be turned on and off from the microcontroller.
- One PCB will contain the brains i.e., the ATmega16u2 along with all the necessary components.
- One PCB will contain the photo transistor.
- Laser cut acrylic lamp shade,
- Laser cut acrylic LED holder,
- 3D printed base,
- Software.
What processes will be used?
- 2D design
- Lamp shade will be a press fit construction and will be designed using Inkscape
- RGB LEDs holder will be a press fit construction and will be designed using Inkscape
- 3D design
- Lamp base will be 3D printed and will be designed using Fusion 360
- Lamp button will be 3D printed using clear resin
- Laser Cutting (Lamp shade)
- 3D Printing (lamp base)
- Electronics design
- Eagle for schematic and board design
- Embedded programming
- Network and Communications (phone application)
What questions need to be answered?
- How to control the lamp via phone. I am exploring MIT application inventor in order to get a rough start in that direction.
How will it be evaluated?
The first spiral of the development is to have a basic enclosure and some LEDs which can light up in a controlled manner. Further spirals will add on more functionality to the system. I would consider it a success if I managed to get a well designed casing for the lamp. Given my background in software and electronics, I do not consider lack of software functionality as detrimental to the success of the project. This also matches well with my objective of joining the fabacademy program.